Seanad debates

Friday, 10 December 2004

Tributes to Deputy Head Usher of the Houses of the Oireachtas.

 

10:30 am

Photo of Mary O'RourkeMary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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With the permission of the Cathaoirleach I wish to pay tribute to the deputy head usher of the Oireachtas, Mr. Frank Lane, who is retiring this evening, as the opportunity will not present itself again. Is that in order?

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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That is in order.

Photo of Mary O'RourkeMary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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We all know Frank Lane. He is one of the very familiar faces in the House. From the first time that a new Member enters the House he or she quickly comes to recognise him as "the envelope man". I do not know how ambiguous that may sound but he gave Members their monthly envelopes.

Photo of Paul BradfordPaul Bradford (Fine Gael)
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White envelopes.

Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)
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Always white envelopes.

Photo of Mary O'RourkeMary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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Of course the envelopes were always white, like Frank Lane himself. He joined the staff of the Oireachtas in 1960 when he was a packer and porter in the stationery office. In 1973 he became an usher in the Houses of the Oireachtas. He was promoted to senior usher and in June 2003 he became deputy head usher. As may be seen he worked his way right through the system.

Frank is the very face and demeanour of public service, which he exemplified to the full. If ever a Member found something wrong with a chair, a desk, or the light in his or her office, Frank was the man to contact and he then co-ordinated with the Office of Public Works. Members always felt there was someone they could go to, in the event, or if they needed some service or other which might not otherwise be available. He was always so friendly, nice to meet and down to earth. He was responsible for co-ordinating and making the House ready for the visits of important personages such as Chancellor Kohl, Prime Minister Blair, Presidents Reagan, Clinton and Mitterand as well as the two visits from the then President Robinson and one from President McAleese. In all of those Frank Lane was the equivalent of the head housekeeper, whose role was to ensure everything was right and done properly.

He is married to Rose and they have a daughter, Frances, who is a member of the usher staff, as well as a son, Vincent. Frank Lane previously served in the Permanent Defence Force and the Reserve Defence Forces and, in all, has spent more than 40 years in the public service. That is some length of service to the State, given his time in the Defence Forces linked to the Houses of the Oireachtas. Any Member of the House would be proud to have such a record of service. On behalf of this side of the House Members wish to pay full tribute to Mr. Lane. I cannot be sufficiently fulsome in his praise. His is one of the faces that will be missed so much, when he leaves this House. We wish him well in his retirement, along with Rose, his wife. His name is being carried on in Leinster House, which is good. I wish him well and want to thank him, personally, and on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party for all his years of service to every Member of the Oireachtas.

Photo of Brian HayesBrian Hayes (Fine Gael)
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On behalf of the Fine Gael Senators in the House, I would like to wish Mr. Frank Lane every success in his retirement. Frank is a very special person, not least because he is a constituent of mine. As I travel around St.Aongus's estate in Tallaght I see him regularly cultivating his chrysanthemums. He has been a feature of this House for many years. His commitment to the dignity of the Oireachtas and his personal attention to Members embodied the man because his tradition is the Army. He has spent a considerable period of his life in the Defence Forces and even when he left he was very much involved in the FCA in terms of recruiting young people, particularly in Tallaght, and encouraging them to become involved. I know of his commitment to the Army, the FCA and this House. It is right that we mark his retirement today. On behalf of Fine Gael Senators, I wish him and his wife every success in his retirement. Whether the day was good or bad, Frank never changed his expression. He remained expressionless, a trait which is useful to glean as a politician. I learned a lot from him over the years in that regard.

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Independent)
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I join in the expressions of regret, congratulations and applause for Frank Lane on his retirement. He has been here as long as the Cathaoirleach and me and it is a tribute to his endurance that he has served so many Members and been so popular for so long. He has one of those extraordinary talents now lacking in many in modern Ireland in that he always has time for people. He has always been prepared to stop to relate an anecdote, to be cheerful and to take the trouble to talk with people. He has not been affected by the kind of impatience from which many of us suffer in this modern competitive world. It is a great tribute to him that he is still serving the Oireachtas. We will miss having him stop and tell us what is happening in the real world.

Frank Lane is a man for whom we all have enormous affection. He is even tempered and decent and takes the trouble to assist Members which is in the finest tradition of all the ushers. He is a man who will go the extra mile for Members. The Captain of the Guard is in the Press Gallery so perhaps I should not say this. However, when I would meet him late on a Friday at approximately 9.59 p.m., Frank would always be prepared to give me a lenient extension on time. Sometimes he would not close the gate quite at the time he should. I will miss that sort of leniency and generosity in his passing. His passing should make us——

Photo of David NorrisDavid Norris (Independent)
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He is not dead yet.

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Independent)
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His passing out through the gates this evening should make us aware of the great value of all the ushers. They are all tremendously helpful and do much for us that we often take for granted. I do not think the Leader mentioned the party for Frank this evening at 5.30 p.m.

Photo of Mary O'RourkeMary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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He may not let the Senator out tonight to attend that.

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Independent)
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I assume all Members are welcome and now they are aware of it, some will be there. Frank Lane was a great usher and we will miss him greatly.

Derek McDowell (Labour)
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I join others in paying tribute to Frank Lane. I did not know until the Leader mentioned it that he was the deputy head usher and had risen to such greatness. Like everybody else, I associated him principally with providing services, not least the envelopes. I also confess that I never thought he was a chrysanthemum kind of man. I am not sure he will thank Senator Brian Hayes for putting that about.

Photo of Brian HayesBrian Hayes (Fine Gael)
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The secret is out.

Derek McDowell (Labour)
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I do not intend to sound critical, but some ushers tend on occasion to be a little over deferential in a way——

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Independent)
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Only to Senator McDowell.

Derek McDowell (Labour)
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——that puts some distance between them and us. Frank Lane was never like that. He always approached Members as people involved equally in the public service, which is as it should be. He was friendly and gave advice, which was sometimes quite caustic or clear, as to what should or should not be done. He did so always in a fashion intended to be helpful. I am sorry he is leaving. He bears his years well. If many of us were as fit and well as he is at his age, we would be happy. I wish him and his wife all the best on his retirement.

John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)
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On behalf of the Progressive Democrats I too would like to pay tribute to Frank Lane. There is always a tendency on these occasions for tributes to sound like obituaries. That is not our intention.

Frank Lane is a long-standing member of Oireachtas staff and has looked after us well. One of his characteristics, which applies to many of the ushers, is his military bearing. One can tell people who have had military training because it stands out, not just in their general deportment but in their approach to people. As someone who has looked after Heads of State and important visitors here, one of his greatest characteristics has been that he treats everybody the same, irrespective of their station, which is a valuable trait.

He was above ground until the postal service went underground and he was consigned to the dungeons. He will, hopefully, now be released into the daylight. I know he has a boat on the Shannon at Banagher which I hope he and his wife enjoy. We wish him every success and good wishes on his retirement and thank him for the service he has given over such an extended period.

Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)
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I would also like to be associated with the tributes to Frank Lane. He was a well liked and highly-respected member of the staff of the Oireachtas. As Senator Ross said, he is here as long as me. I think he was here when I came, which is a long time. His commitment to the Oireachtas has been second to none. Much of the fine furniture, including the table at the entrance to the Seanad, were restored by him because of his recognition of their worth. I am delighted Senator Ross informed us of the party for him. I am sure he will enjoy it.

Frank Lane had many interests outside Leinster House and he gave significant time to community and social work and activities. I wish him well on his retirement. It will allow him to pursue his many interests, especially boating and fishing. I wish him a happy retirement with his wife and family.